Neighborhood Notes

The Rail User's Network (RUN) will hold an outreach meeting in Portland on Wednesday, October 15th at 7pm. The meeting will be held in Room C on the 2nd floor of the Portland Building, 1120 SW 5th Ave.

The meeting will present a rare opportunity for rail advocates in Portland and elsewhere in the Northwest Region to meet with the counterparts from elsewhere in the nation, to exchange ideas for improving both transit in the region and advocacy efforts toward better transit. "Cities like Portland and Seattle represent the future in American transit, where new lines get people out of their automobiles and into downtown" said David Peter Alan, a RUN Board member and a rail advocate in New Jersey. He also stated: "We also want to help the advocacy movement grow in places like Portland, so transit riders can have as much of a voice as possible in making decisions about their transit."

The RUN meeting will feature representatives from the Citizens' Advisory Committee for the Portland Streetcar, the Association of Oregon Rail and Transit Advocates (AORTA) and All Aboard Washington, a coalition of Washington State rail advocates. RUN members from other regions will attend the meeting, as well. The meeting is scheduled to coincide with the Fall meeting of the National Association of Railroad Passengers (NARP), which begins the next day. NARP advocates at the national level for improvements in Amtrak intercity trains. A number of NARP Directors are also expected to attend the RUN meeting.

Chris Smith, chair of the Portland Streetcar Citizens Advisory Committee is acting as local host. If you are interested in attending the meeting, please RSVP to rsvp@portlandtransport.com.